Sniffing. Dogs are so good at it that many of them make a living doing it: think search dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, the list goes on and on. But a new sport takes their natural nose power and puts it to work for fun and excitement. It’s called Nose Work and you and your dog are going to absolutely …

Let’s assume you didn’t know that most dogs prefer not to have their paws touched and need to be gently acclimated to paw handling from puppyhood. Or your dog entered your life as an adult who had never had his paws touched and freaks out if you even mention touching his paws. Either way, you’ve got a dilemma: how to …

Anthropomorphosis means “translation into human form.” Tell someone you consider yourself your dog’s parent and they may accuse you of anthropomorphism. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As the brilliant author, researcher, and professor, Temple Grandin, says in her book, Animals Make Us Human: “What dogs probably need isn’t a substitute pack leader but a substitute parent. I say …

When it comes to training, some people pass off folklore as fact. “My grandfather did it this way, my father did it this way, I do it this way. It works.” That may appear to be true…on the surface. With the cultural phenomenon of “dog whispering,” we’re lead to believe that there is a simple yet mystical path to gaining …

The more our little dog sounded those barking alarms, the more our two bigger dogs began to follow suit. Soon, we ended up with three barking dogs who got so caught up in their barking frenzy that they did not want to hear what we said to the contrary. I was struck with an idea. Instead of berating the misbehaving dog, why not praise the dogs who are doing the right thing? And it worked.

Here at Dog Parent, we will regularly feature news and notes, suggestions and tips, and links to great products that are in line with a positive training philosophy. We take our inspiration from our favorite trainers, like Patricia McConnell and Turid Rugaas.